Lucy's Red Seal
by screamLove
Summary: He didn't open it using a letter opener. He BURNED it. He READ it. And now, how far will Natsu go just to find out who's holding Lucy's heart?
1. Chapter 1

**HI EVERYONE! This is my first time writing a story for Fairy Tail. My very first fanfics that I wrote could be seen in Ouran High School Host Club (I was really addicted to that anime!). I hope you guys would forgive me for the future misspelled words and grammatical errors.**

**Love, The Author.**

"_**You guys can call me Anya. I like that nickname ."**_

_Mama,_

_It's another wonderful morning. But I'm not sure if all this 'wonderful' feeling I'm getting would last until the end of the day. Fairy Tail is just like that Mama, y'know. Even if sometimes I get sick of Natsu and Gray fighting every single day, I still love them. I still love everyone. _

_And Mama, speaking of love, I found someone that I really love. If you were here right now, you'd probably say things about how your daughter is growing up. I miss you Mama. And I love you._

_Love,  
>Lucy of Fairy Tail<em>

Slowly, she folded the paper three times, placed it inside an envelope then sealed it. She was thankful to the Gods today because a certain pink-haired boy had not disturbed her favourite time of the day. She stood up from her seat and slowly opened a cabinet that was above the table. She furrowed her eyebrows. _This cabinet's full. What should I do?_

She looked around her well-organized apartment, and then fixed her gaze on her bed. _I can't hide this letter under the mattress. It'll wrinkle my letter to Mama! _Then, she looked at her cabinet full of clothes. _I can't put this in here too! _She suddenly remembered those times when she was in a hurry and had to literally throw her clothes out of the cabinet so that she could find the one she's looking for. _I might accidentally throw the letter and not notice it._ She was about to think of going to the kitchen but then immediately stopped her trail of thought. _That pink-haired fire-breathing boy might play with his fire then accidentally burn her kitchen. Not an option._ She was starting to become frustrated. _Where in the world will I put Mama's letter without exposing it to danger?_ While she was thinking, she hadn't noticed a blue cat open her window, letting in a pink-haired boy giving Lucy his goofy grin.

"Hi Luc –" The pink-haired boy was cut off when he saw the blonde beauty standing with her face in deep thinking.

"Lucy?"

"EEEEEEEPP!" Her right hand on her heaving chest. "WHAT THE HELL, NATSU?"

He gave her his toothy grin again. "What were you doing?" He was now sitting on Lucy's bed, staring straight at her.

"Jeez Natsu, you almost gave me a heart attack there. At least try knocking on the door!" She reprimanded the dragon slayer, who, in return, just flashed his toothy grin again.

"Sooooooooooo, what were you doing standing there like an old statue?"

A single vein popped in Lucy's forehead. "I wasn't standing like an old statue. I was thinking."

Natsu was now munching on Lucy's sweets that were inside a basket. The blue cat was eating a sugar cane. "No Lucy." The blue cat said. "You really were standing like a statue."

Lucy sighed. "Fine. Maybe I was. But I was really thinking." She started walking towards her desk and grabbed her bag. _I'll just put this in here for the moment. Until I find a new space for Mama's letters, I'll put them all here. _Just when she was about to place the envelope inside, she suddenly felt warmer, especially at her back. She was getting irritated.

"What're you holding there Luce?" Natsu asked, his hands still full of candy.

The blue cat flew and laid on top of Natsu's head. "Oooooh, I see an envelope. Is that a letter to your 'boyfriend'?" The blue cat snickered.

Suddenly, her head rotated 180 degrees. She was now facing the duo. Natsu and the cat started to cower in fear. They could see Lucy's hair moving on its own, like they were snakes. "THIS. IS. NOT. A. LETTER. TO. MY. BOYFRIEND. I. DON'T. EVEN. HAVE. ONE. SO. SHUT. UP." With that, she closed her bag and bee lined to her apartment door.

Natsu tried to wipe the sweat coming from his forehead. "Was Lucy that scary Happy?"

Happy couldn't say a thing. He was sure to have nightmares later. But his dazed state instantly vanished when he saw something on Lucy's desk. "Oi Natsu, isn't that Lucy's letter?" He pointed his paw towards the envelope with a red seal on it.

"Eh?" Natsu proceeded towards her desk and sat on the chair. "I thought she placed it in her bag earlier." He looked at the envelope and sniffed it. _Still smells like Lucy._ He noticed the red seal and examined it.

Happy shrugged. "She must've missed the opening; she was looking at us while putting the envelope inside."

Natsu was just looking at the envelope like it was a thing that was different from all the other things he'd encounter everyday. He somehow sensed that opening the envelope would be a super duper terrible mistake. _But I wanna read what Lucy wrote!_ He inwardly whined.

"What're you planning on doing Natsu?" Happy asked, wagging its tail.

". . ." No response from the Fire Breathing Dragon Slayer.

"Natsu?"

"… HE HE HE." Natsu was laughing evilly. In a matter of seconds, the envelope was gone; it turned into ashes on Lucy's desk. Now Natsu's hands were like snakes, slowly unfolding the envelope. _TIME FOR READING!_

_At the Fairy Tail Guild:_

Lucy suddenly feels a bit nervous. _What the hell is wrong with me?_ She looked at her bag that was in front of her and touched it lightly. Then an idea popped inside her head. She slowly opened her bag, being very careful not to squish the very important object inside. She placed her hand inside and …

She instantly stood up from her usual seat, in front of Mira's bar, and looked inside her bag.

_MAMA'S LETTER! WHERE IS IT?_

She left her bag on the table and ran as fast as she could. _I need to get back to the apartment!_

Mira and the other guild members looked at the Celestial Mage with confusion and worry.

**I'm sorry! I'm always like this; making the very first chapter short and interesting (I guess?). No worries, shall put up the second chapter probably on Saturday **


	2. Chapter 2

**Anya here! Here's the second chapter! :D**

**BTW, thank you so much for the reviews! **

**To: AngelKnightKaoru  
>I was planning on doing that y'know, but since my mind's crazy, I wanna try something different. Don't worry, that scene will pop up sooner :]<strong>

"Neh, Happy?" Natsu was still sitting, holding Lucy's letter that was addressed to her Mom. "Did you hear that?

Happy's ear twitched. "Hear what?"

Natsu shrugged. "Like, something had been pierced."

The blue feline stared at his partner in crime for a moment. "Eeeeeehhhh? What are you talking about Natsu?"

The flame dragon slayer stared at his best friend in disbelief. "How can you not hea –"

BAM!

The sound of a door banged up against a wall wasn't good. Happy's blue fur became white. Natsu's eyes were bulging; his grip to the letter tightened, crumpling the letter a little to the side. They could hear hurried footsteps and heavy panting. They wanted to jump out of the window, but for some reason, they were rooted to their spot. As soon as they heard the footsteps stop, they looked at the door and saw a very flustered Lucy, holding her chest, trying to regain some of her oxygen back.

Lucy saw Natsu and Hap – _Charle?_ inside her room. Both looking very terrified. _I knew it._

She straightened her back and looked at Natsu with – sadness?

_What have I done?_ Natsu thought. He could feel sweat starting to form on his forehead.

She could see ashes on her desk. _He burned the envelope._ "Why Natsu?" She asked, sadness and pain was clear in her voice. "Why?"

Natsu immediately stood up. He wasn't expecting this. Usually, when Lucy finds out that he rummaged through her things, she'd get angry and kick him out of her apartment. "I'm sorry Luce, I was just –"

"Curious?" She cut him off. She's angry, angry as hell. But seeing that her best friend, Natsu, burned the envelope and invaded her privacy, made her sad. She doesn't mind if he'd go snooping inside her apartment and look for her manuscript or look inside her closet. Yes, she'd get angry but it was nothing. It was a well-known fact to everyone in the guild that she writes a novel and let her girl best friend, Levy McGarden, read it first. Everyone knows also that she wears clothes that are in fashion. She wouldn't really consider it as something private. It's just something that she enjoys doing. But her letter to her Mama, in the hands of an idiotic fire-breathing dragon slayer, absolutely equates to no good.

Natsu shook his head. "No Luce! I wasn't! I was … uhh …" He was at loss for words. He can feel his hands shaking, his sweat slowly trickling down his face.

"Natsu." Lucy said in a low voice. He can't sense any anger, but just pure sadness. "To be honest, I really don't mind if you burn some of my stuffs in here. Yes, I do get angry, but it's because I paid for those and bought the thing for a reason. But …" She couldn't hold back the tears anymore. Tears were streaming down her face.

Natsu hated himself. He hated himself because he made Lucy cry. She was his closest nakama. He reached out to the blonde. "Luce, I –" He got cut off again with Lucy's palm facing him.

"I know you're sorry Natsu." She wiped some tears off her face before continuing. "It's just that, right now, I really can't forgive you yet."

Then there's that sound again. He can hear something being pierced, and that something shattered into pieces. _What is that?_ He thought. He looked at his precious nakama. Her eyes were lifeless. It was full of sadness and agony. He placed the letter back to the desk and looked back at Lucy. He really wanted to reach out and hold her, but he knows that he can't just do that. "Luce, I'm sorry. I really am. I understand how important your letter is." He scratched the back of his head, feeling very nervous. "You were gonna send it to your –"

"I wasn't gonna send it." Her voice was trembling. She never had any plans in revealing anything about her family, especially her mother, because just by remembering, her heart would break in an instant.

Natsu was confused by now. "Then, what's the point of writing a letter to your Mom if you won't send it?"

Lucy's fragile fingers were curling up, turning her hands into little fists. Her fists were shaking and more tears were coming out from her eyes.

Natsu saw all of this. He reached out but Lucy backed away.

"Because it's the only way for me to feel closer towards Mama!" She shouted. She gritted her teeth, trying to force herself not to lash out. "Because of her, I learned to love reading novels! Because of her, I learned to love writing! Because of her, I learned to love my spirits! If Mama was still here with me, she'd protect me from Father!" With that last sentence, she fell onto her knees and cried. This is why she never spoke of her mother openly to anyone. She had her reasons, and it was this.

_Was? So her mother ..?_ Natsu was able to connect the dots. This time, he felt really really bad. Happy was now crying. Happy flew towards Lucy and tried to put his paw on her leg but she flinched. "Go away." She said. Happy flew back to Natsu and tugged his scarf. "Le – let's go-go, N-Natsu." The blue feline stuttered. He was having a hard time speaking. He was trying his best to hold back the tears, and not cry out loud.

Natsu understood what his best friend was trying to say; they had to leave Lucy for a while. They knew that if they stayed any longer, she'd hate them for the rest of her life. He wouldn't allow that. Not in a million years. So before leaving, he took a few steps forward and sits cross-legged in front of his blond best friend. "Lucy." He inhaled deeply, hoping to receive an answer, but there was none. "I .. I know I've messed up this time. Like, big time. I'm sorry Luce, I really am." He looked at Lucy, but she was still sobbing with her palms on her face. He could feel his insides burning, twisting; he couldn't understand what he was feeling. He sighed in defeat and dropped his head. "I … I'm sorry … Luce. So … sorry."

For some reason, he didn't want to cry in front of her. He stood up, called Happy and left Lucy's apartment through the window. As soon as his sandals stepped on the ground, he could hear Lucy's crying getting louder every second. _Lucy. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me._ With that, he walked very slowly, hoping to hear that Lucy would just stop and scream out his name, saying that she has forgiven him. But he knows that it'll take more than two words to make Lucy forgive him, because this time, it wasn't just any paper that he had just burned, even though it was just the envelope; it was for her mother.

He decided to go back to the guild and let his mind rest or whatever. _Maybe I'll go kick popsicle's ass this time._

_At the Fairy Tail Guild:_

Natsu threw the doors wide open, his fists were covered in flames. "Oi popsicle stick! We have a score to settle! Show me what … you … got." His flames died down, and Natsu's face became depressed. Everyone in the guild was shocked with this.

"Oi flame-brain, what's wrong with you?" Gray stood up from his seat, completely unaware that he has lost his clothes somewhere.

Natsu took the nearest seat and let his head fall on the table. "Lucy." He said softly. The ice mage wasn't able to hear that.

The stripping ice mage took a seat across Natsu and looked at his nakama. "What? What did you say?"

"…"

Gray got no answer. He could see that Natsu was thinking about something, and that something made him lonely. He poked Natsu's head. "Oi, what's with the long face? Got defeated or something?"

"…" Natsu simply sighed. He wasn't even in the mood to talk to the ice mage. He was too busy thinking about Lucy.

Happy took the courtesy of answering. "Lucy." He was leaning at the back of Natsu's head, eyes still watery.

Erza came and stood behind the edge of the table, looking at Happy. "What happened to Lucy?"

"Speaking of Lucy," Gray popped in. "I haven't seen her and it's already 10AM. Where is she?"

"She's at her apartment." Natsu answered with a monotonous tone. He was staring at nothing.

"What is she doing there?" Erza asked again. "Isn't she gonna come here today?"

"Maybe not." Natsu replied with the same tone.

"Eh? Why not?" Gray asked. "It's obviously not like her to not come here."

"We made her cry." Natsu and Happy replied.

With that, Erza's eye color turned into red, her murderous aura seeping out. Gray stood up with his fist ready to smack Natsu's head. But Erza beat him to that.

"WHAT DID YOU DO? WHAT KIND OF A MAN ARE YOU!" The table was now broken. Natsu didn't bother standing up because he feels weak; for the first time in his life, he feels terribly weak.

Gray decided on shaking Natsu's blue cat. "What on earth did you do to Lucy!"

Erza wanted answers, but she couldn't get anything from the culprit who made her nakama cry. She took a handful of Natsu's vest and brought him up. "ANSWER ME! WHAT. DID. YOU. DO!"

Everyone was looking at the scene with a tight lip. Levy, Lucy's girl best friend, was crying.

Erza decided to give Natsu another punch but before she could do that, a large hand stopped hers; it was Master Makarov. "Enough with the violence Erza."

"But -!"

"I said ENOUGH!" Makarov's voice rang through the entire guild house.

Erza let go of Natsu, while Gray was still holding Happy. Makarov stepped in front of Erza. "Natsu, what did you do to Lucy?"

"I burned the envelope." He replied with a low tone. He was just there, sitting on the floor with his head down. But this time, his tears fell. Erza, Gray, and the others were shocked at this.

"What was inside the envelope?" Makarov asked again.

"A letter." His hands turning into fists.

"A letter to whom?"

"… Her mother." He gritted his teeth. He raised his right arm and punched the floor with such monstrous strength that the guild somehow shook a little. The others looked above them, scared that some wood might fall. He repeated this action but with his other arm again. "IF ONLY SHE WOULD'VE TOLD US! IF ONLY SHE WOULD'VE TOLD ME!"

"Told us what? Told you what, Natsu?"

"THAT HER MOTHER'S DEAD!"

With that, an eerie silence fell upon the guild. They have never realized, until now, how much burden their nakama has been carrying. She was always so cheerful, so lively, so full of life. Even after the Phantom incident, she quickly recovered and went back to her old lively self. They knew how much hatred Lucy's carrying towards her Father but they never noticed that she never talked about her mother. Maybe it was because of every battle that they fought, it was all about Lucy's father trying to get Lucy back.

"Why … why would she write a letter to her mother if she … passed away?" Erza asked, curious as to what the answer might be.

Natsu didn't reply. His fists were still planted on the ground, wanting to punch more. "Natsu?" Erza asked again.

"Because it's the only way for her to feel closer towards her mother. She was the reason why Lucy loved reading novels and writing. She didn't say it outright that her mother died, but she said that –"

"If her mother _was_ still here, she'd protect her from her father." Natsu continued Happy's statement.

"Natsu." Makarov spoke again. "There is a reason why she isn't able to tell this to us, to you."

"Then what!" He screamed. Frustration was starting to eat him. He wanted to know more.

"There are different types of secrets in this world. There are those secrets that we keep from others because we fear that we're gonna be judged wrongly if we tell. There are those secrets that we keep from others because we fear that people might not accept us. Then, there are those secrets that we keep from others because we fear that just by remembering, it'll inflict pain that's worse than a stab to a heart from a sword. It is that kind of pain that we fear because we are pretty much vulnerable to anything."

"But –"

"What if I tell you Natsu, right here, right now, that Igneel left you because he doesn't want you. He left you because you're not strong enough to become a dragon slayer. What will you feel?"

Then there's that piercing sound again, but after a split second, he felt numb. He could see his hands shaking, he could feel more tears coming out from his eyes, he could feel himself getting cold.

Makarov saw his reaction and knew that he hit the spot. "That's the feeling Natsu. But for you, it wouldn't last long because somehow, you still have the hope to see Igneel, but for Lucy, there's no more."

_No more._ These words were playing on Natsu's mind like a broken record. He knows that a person would be sad if someone died that was related to them, but he never realized that the feeling was … devastating. At that time with Erza, when she was sucked into that large lacrima, he hadn't felt anything like this because all he could feel was panic and worry.

To the guild members, it felt like hours, waiting for Natsu to speak up again, but in reality it was just minutes. He slowly stood up and left the guild.

"Do what you gotta do child." With that, Makarov went back to his previous seat and continued drinking his beer while Erza, Gray, and Happy looked at Natsu who was walking slowly.

"Tch. Natsu, you bastard." Erza said in a low voice. "Hurry up and bring Lucy back."

**Blah, chapter so shizzzz, hahahaha. So gloomy, so moody, hahahahaha. I'm sorry for that. Sorry for the late posting. I went to the doctor this morning, zzz.**


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